


Sweet Home Oceanside

by BeStillMySlashyHeart



Series: AK ficlets [9]
Category: Animal Kingdom (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Sweet Home Alabama Fusion, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-17
Updated: 2019-01-17
Packaged: 2019-10-11 11:39:55
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,428
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17446268
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BeStillMySlashyHeart/pseuds/BeStillMySlashyHeart
Summary: Adrian and Deran got married before it all went to hell and Adrian left. Now, years later, Adrian is getting married to someone else.Only one problem...he and Deran never got divorced.aka the Sweet Home Alabama AU nobody asked for





	Sweet Home Oceanside

**Author's Note:**

> Full disclosure - I hate writing long fics. I've done one and that was more than enough. So this idea got stuck in my head and I wanted to write it but I knew I would never be able to do the whole movie so here is a snippet but imo its the most important snippet

He couldn’t move. He knew everyone was staring at him but he couldn’t look away from the page in front of him.

He hadn’t signed.

After all of the shit he just went through to get Deran’s signature and he was the one who didn’t sign the damn papers. 

“Adrian!” finally got through to him. He looked up to see Thomas’s agitated face. He huffed when he realized he finally had Adrian’s attention. “What is it?”

Adrian was confused for a moment before he realized that his lawyer hadn’t actually said anything. He’d just handed Adrian his divorce papers. His _unsigned_ divorce papers. He opened his mouth but nothing came out. He looked back down at the papers in his hand.

Helpfully, his lawyer spoke up. “Just a small mistake with the divorce papers. Seems in the rush to get the um-other signature, Adrian forgot to sign them himself.”

“Jesus Christ,” Thomas let out as he ran a hand through his hair. Adrian’s heart hurt at the sight. He knew the past few weeks had been really hard on him. Adrian had hoped that it was all behind them now. That Deran was behind them now. Behind him. “If it’s just that, then all Adrian has to do is sign them now, right? Fuck, we’re going to have to postpone the wedding. How long will it take to finalize the divorce?” Thomas asked the lawyer.

Adrian didn’t hear the answer. He was too busy staring at the pen in his sister’s hand. Jess held it out in front of him. Finally, he tore his eyes from the pen only to catch the look on her face. It was...kind. Jess had been the only person who knew about him and Deran. She had always supported him in everything, even his fuck-up of a love life. 

Dimly, he heard the conversation between Thomas and the lawyer continuing. He couldn’t bring himself to pay attention. He was too busy having an internal crisis and having a silent conversation of his own with Jess. She seemed to realize what he was going to do as soon as he did because she let out a small smile and put the pen away.

He focused back on the commotion in the room around him. While he had been zoned out, several more people had joined the wedding party in the small antechamber off the reception hall. Thomas was busy trying to direct traffic and get everything rearranged so they could postpone the ceremony. Adrian winced. This was not going to be pretty. And by far the worst part was going to be hurting someone he genuinely loved. It was a goddamn shame that he would never truly get over Deran. Thomas was a good man. And he was going to make a great husband one day. Just not for Adrian.

“Thomas,” he tried. But the noise in the room was too loud for the other man to hear him. The lawyer came up next to him. “Do you need a pen?” Adrian shook his head without looking away from his fiance.

“Thomas,” he said again, louder this time. That got his attention. And everyone else’s.

Shit

“Don’t-” he stopped himself. “You don’t need to postpone anything.”

Thomas stared at him. “Well we can’t very well get married today. Bigamy’s illegal in the state of California, last I checked. So we have to wait until all your paperwork gets filed.” He started to turn back to the caterer.

Adrian closed his eyes and shook his head. “You don’t want to marry me.” Thomas turned back towards him. “I don’t?” Adrian heard the realization in his voice. Thomas knew what he was going to say and it was going to hurt him but Adrian couldn’t leave it unsaid.

“Look. The truth is- the truth is, I gave my heart away a long time ago. My whole heart. And I never really got it back.” Adrian watched the light fade from Thomas’s eyes. Watched him set his jaw. "You don't wanna marry me." He repeated softly.

Adrian looked down at the papers still in his hand. With a yank, he ripped them in half and handed the pieces to Jess. She handed him her car keys in return, squeezing his hand as she did so.

“Go,” she said softly. He nodded to her and turned back to Thomas. The other man stood aside and motioned to the doorway. “Don’t let me stop you.”

Adrian hated the bitterness in his voice but he knew he couldn’t stay. Not for himself but also not for Thomas. Sticking around would only make this worse. 

Plus, he had a husband to go find.

____

 

Of course traffic was terrible. Of course.

The hour and a half drive from LA had taken him almost 4 hours because of traffic and road closures and by the time he got to Oceanside, it was dark and storming. 

Adrian pulled up outside of The Drop and stared at the dark sign. It was closed. Fuck.

Adrian banged the steering wheel and closed his eyes. He didn’t know where Deran was living these days. They hadn’t gotten around to talking about it when Adrian had come back for the divorce. Honestly, Adrian was too caught up in the fact that Deran had a legitimate business all on his own to think too hard on where he slept. It has been a shock, to say the least, to see Deran grown up. In more ways than one. The angry thug who Adrian feared would be a perpetual mama’s boy had become a responsible, (relatively) law-abiding man who had finally gotten out from under Smurf. And Adrian had fallen all over again.

Leading him to his current predicament. Peering through the rain, he spotted the Scout in the parking lot, so Adrian got out and banged on the door. After a minute, he thought Deran must have gone home. He turned to leave but stopped when the door creaked open behind him. 

He let out the breath he was holding when he saw Craig’s face through the crack.

“Adrian?” Craig asked. “What are you doing here? And what are you wearing?”

Adrian looked down at himself. How had he forgotten he was wearing his tux? Shaking his head, he looked back at Craig. “Where’s Deran?”

“I dunno. He said he was going for a walk or some shit but I doubt he’s still outside in this.” He gestured at the storm. 

Adrian couldn’t help but agree. Except. When they were younger they had had a thing for walks on the beach in the midst of a summer storm. Could he be? Adrian started to smile. He thanked Craig and turned and got back in his car. It wasn’t far but walking would take too long. 

A few minutes later he stopped along an unremarkable stretch of beach. He got out and made his way closer to the water. Pausing for a moment, he looked in the other three directions, just to make sure Deran wasn’t anywhere else around here. Then, he made for the large outcropping of rocks on the far end of the beach. Sure enough, after a moment, he spotted a figure standing way too close to the edge. 

When he thought he was close enough to be heard, he shouted, “Deran!”

The other man whipped around and almost lost his balance. Adrian couldn’t help the smile that broke out. Seeing the love of your life almost fall from a decent height into storm-rough waters might not make most people happy, but then- they weren’t most people. Deran quickly made his way off the rocks and back onto the beach in front of Adrian.

“Where’s your husband?” he asked.

Adrian’s smile got even bigger. “I’m looking at him.” He had to laugh at the absolutely bewildered look on Deran’s face. 

He took a step closer. “Turns out I never signed the papers. You and I are still hitched.” Another step.

Deran shook his head, the strands of his hair that he hadn’t tied back slapping at his neck. “What the hell you wanna be married to me for?”

Adrian closed the gap until they were close enough to share breath. Softly, he answered. “So I can kiss you anytime I want.”

His words, echoed from their first kiss in a storm just like this one, had the desired effect. The tension vanished from Deran’s body and he reached out for Adrian, pulling him close. Just before their lips met, Adrian heard him whisper.

_“Thank fuck.”_


End file.
